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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to have complained to Morrisons? I feel guilty.

41 replies

FruitCakey · 28/10/2014 21:03

Yesterday, I popped into Morrisons with my Mum for a few bits. As I was walking through the doors to enter Morrisons, I had a member of staff crash into me with great force and was shoved harshly to the side.
Unfortunately, there was a shoplifter, so naturally the member of staff chased him out of the store. I respect him greatly for doing so. However, because I was so harshly crashed into and shoved to the side, completely out of the blue it resulted in me having a severe panic attack. I was shaking and couldn't breathe, which has happened in some cases before as I suffer with anxiety and take medication for this.

I put in a complaint through their website last night, just expressing how this had affected me. I explained that while I understood and respected this staff member for bravely chasing the shoplifter, I thought that it shouldn't have been at the expense of other loyal customers such as myself. I was also concerned that if this had been anyone else, perhaps with some sort of disability, it could have resulted in much worse!

I received a phone call from a lady in customer services tonight and she was incredibly apologetic and lovely and she also said that she was sending vouchers out. I feel so guilty. Poor bloke was just trying to chase down a shoplifter. Tell me how bloody awful I am!

OP posts:

Cantbelievethisishappening · 28/10/2014 21:09

Accidents happen. Shoplifters mean everyone pays higher prices. YABU although I can empathise with your fright.

raltheraffe · 28/10/2014 21:10

If you were aware that the employee was chasing a shoplifter that is unreasonable.

iwaly · 28/10/2014 21:10

You are not awful at all. I hope you are feeling okay now. You are absolutely right that of course they should not have knocked anyone at all when they were chasing someone - just like the police have to be careful not to cause injury/accident when they pursue someone even with blue lights on etc they should still take care. I doubt if the shoplifter had got away it would have been the end of the world - possibly different if someone's life was in danger (was once knocked over when someone was racing towards a toddler who had toddled into a busy car park - in that case I did not mind at all).

Hopefully they can just reinforce during training etc that it is not worth injuring a customer to catch a shoplifter!

WooWooOwl · 28/10/2014 21:17

You don't need to feel guilty. Accidents happen and sometimes there are consequences. It's just life.

Morrisons can well afford to give you a few vouchers, and it's unlikely that the staff member will be in trouble.

ButEmilylovedhim · 28/10/2014 21:19

Of course he shouldn't have knocked into you like that! Well done for complaining. Now hopefully they can include being careful not to injure people even while trying to catch shoplifters in their training! You'd think it would be obvious, but obviously not. I'm sorry you were shaken up, I would have been too. What if it had been a little old lady? She could have broken a hip. Very serious indeed.

Don't feel guilty. They needed to know that that happened.

WeAllHaveWings · 28/10/2014 21:26

Although I sympathise with your panic attack which must have been horrible, it was an accident and you know the circumstances of when it happened. I think you were a bit unreasonable writing a complaint.

Hope you are feeling a bit better now.

puntasticusername · 28/10/2014 21:26

It doesn't sound to me as if anyone was being unreasonable really. YWNBU to have found yourself unable to avoid a panic attack that came out of the blue due to this totally unforeseen event; the member of staff WNBU of course to be chasing a shoplifter, and I'm sure he/she knows that it would obviously have been much better to avoid shoving other, innocent customers, but it's a fair assumption that being shoved in that way would probably not cause most people anything more than a few moments' discomfort.

And YWNBU to complain to Morrisons - it's only right to encourage them to consider the needs of people, like yourself, who actually do suffer some material harm from being shoved like that.

ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks · 28/10/2014 21:27

She was not unreasonable! catching a shoplifter does not come before a customer's safety. I assume the staff member was not also a police officer?

Ebayaholic · 28/10/2014 21:33

The same thing happened to me in a Tesco- I was shoved from behind whilst paying and fell forward onto my shopping. I was really shocked, embarrassed and disorientated. No-one said a word to me and I wasnt bolshy enough to kick off about it then. I would now.

fluffling · 28/10/2014 21:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Iggi999 · 28/10/2014 22:11

Shoved so someone can catch a murderer = perfectly reasonable. Shoved so someone can catch a shoplifter = disproportionate.
As others have said, if it was an elderly person (many to be found in shops) it could have had major consequences for them. Or a toddler, also many to be found in shops.

ArabellaTarantella · 28/10/2014 22:14

It happens. They are sending you vouchers and have apologised. It's over.

winkywinkola · 28/10/2014 22:16

Well, I think an apology should be enough really. Vouchers? Nope.

SDTGisASpookyWoooolefGenius · 28/10/2014 22:18

I think you were right to complain - I would guess that the Morrisons employee crashed into you by accident, and in the heat of the moment, I can understand why they carried on chasing the shoplifter - I am guessing that there wasn't time to stop and consider the options, and they just acted without thinking.

But I think that someone from Morrisons should have checked on you, looked after you, and made sure that you were OK before you went home - and that is why I think you were right to complain.

OneSkinnyChip · 28/10/2014 22:19

No YANBU to have made a complaint but I think they have handled it really well. for you and for Morrisons.

iwaly · 28/10/2014 22:19

From what the OP wrote, it was not an "accident" - she was shoved aside so the person could get past her. Totally not acceptable in the circumstances. And it would not be reasonable to make an assumption that the person being shoved would be okay about it. Even if person not obviously elderly, how would they know if someone had a disability, brittle bones, dodgy hips, stitches, anxiety, etc. If they had problems with balance like a fairly young member of my family they could fall and hit their head. No way would I expect a staff member to feel it necessary to push someone aside to catch a shoplifter.

MrsCakesPrecognition · 28/10/2014 22:20

I think you did the right thing letting them know. If it had been my elderly dad with his newly replaced hip or even my mum with her dodgy balance (so only likely to be able to catch herself before crashing to the floor), being shoved over could have had very nasty physical consequences.

PeachyParisian · 28/10/2014 22:23

YANBU
Chasing a shoplifter isn't a valid reason to injure another customer. Are staff even supposed to be chasing them?

Altinkum · 28/10/2014 22:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SomeSortOfDeliciousBiscuit · 28/10/2014 22:37

You were completely right to complain. That should never have happened - if customers were in the way, the staff member should have moved around them or given up the chase. Someone could have been seriously injured.

VinoTime · 28/10/2014 22:41

I don't see you as being unreasonable at all, OP. What if you had been some frail, elderly lady who had toppled to the ground and broken something as a result? They could end up paying out for a compensation claim in that instance, and all in the name of saving the few quids worth of groceries some plank ran away with.

Yes, catching a shoplifter is important, but it doesn't take precedence over the health and safety of customers. The store have CCTV footage. There is no need for any member of staff to barrel out of the store with such force that it causes harm and upset to other people.

If that had happened in my store, the member of staff would be in a lot trouble. We play by the unwritten rule that if we haven't managed to stop a shoplifter before they are out of the door, then it becomes the police's concern. We get the CCTV footage ready for them to come and pick up and see if they can catch them. If they haven't left the shop, we do our utmost to stop them, but it is always done with discretion. We don't want to disturb our customers and we certainly don't want anyone to get caught in the crossfire.

YANBU. Buy yourself some nice fancy chocolate with your vouchers and try to forget it. And I'm really sorry that happened to you

WD41 · 28/10/2014 22:42

Yanbu. Other customers' safety should come before catching a shoplifter.

knittingdad · 28/10/2014 23:21

I think Morrisons will have wanted to know about how the incident affected you. Most people wouldn't have had a panic attack in that circumstance, so they wouldn't have known that it had affected you so much.

Now that you have told them it has given them the opportunity to apologise. So it's all good now, really.

RedSoloCup · 28/10/2014 23:24

Hang on, I work in a store like this and there is no way YABU, you don't 'chase' shoplifters as you aren't allowed to touch them or take them down by force if you catch up with them so what did that person intend to do? We just get a pic and evidence off of cctv and pass it on to the police you can't do anymore. The person that banged into you was BANG out of order so don't feel guilty please OP x

Mulligrubs · 28/10/2014 23:35

YWNBU to have complained! They were chasing a shoplifter and shoved you. There is no way staff members should be shoving any customers just to get a shoplifter. They have CCTV and the police to deal with it.

I'm glad you complained. This will enable them to retrain their staff. Imagine if they had shoved someone carrying a child, or a frail elderly person, someone with a hidden disability or someone who has had an operation or whatever? It's not on.

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